









o 












■ 









1 































































































































































• 












0^ \^° 



Copyright 1910 

By 

CARTER S. COLE. M.D. 

New Y«k 



This 

EDITION DE LUXE 

is limited to 

500 COPIES 

of which this is 

No. 



I N 


D E X 




To Harriet Ware 




Dedication 


Venetian Twilight 


- 


1 


A Birthday 


- 


2 


Rigi-Kulm 


- 


3 


Pompeii 


- 


4 


Fiesole (Theatre) 


- 


5 


An Ideal 


- 


6 


The Azores 


- 


7 


The Harvest Moon 


- 


8 


A Kiss - 




9 


Love's Symphony 


- 


10 


A Reply - 


- 


11 


Humility 


- 


12 


Sea-Gulls 


- 


13 


The Song Sublime 


- 


14 


Lost and Found 


- 


15 


Lost Love 


- 


16 


A Voice 


- 


17 


Calling 


- 


18 


Free 


- 


19 


Subconscious Cerebration - 


20 


Above the Clouds 


- 


21 


Dreaming 


- 


22 


A Pastor 


- 


23 


Immanuel (A song < 


:ycle) - 


25 


A Cross - 


- 


29 


Mother-Love - 


- 


30 


When Violets Fade 


- 


30 


If - 


- 


31 


Love's Message 


- 


32 


Unchanged 


- 


33 


A White Rose 


- 


34 



A Breath of Spring 


35 


Tear Drops 


36 


Love-Light 


37 


Affinity 


38 


Bohemians 


39 


A Message 


40 


Far and Near - 


41 


Roeanne (9 months old) 


42 


Alone 


45 


A Golden Wedding - 


46 


Heart Hunger - 


47 


Autograph Book 


48 


An inspiration - 


49 


Intuition - 


50 


Silence and Song 


51 


A Chord - '■ 


52 


M. H. 


52 


Mon Desir 


53 


Aloft 


54 


Comrades (Pleiades) 


55 


The Struggle - 


56 


Asleep ... 


57 


Truth 


58 


A Sketch 


59 


Love Divine (A song cycle) 


60 


A Contrast 


63 


Marguerite 


65 


Love-Bloom 


66 


A Silver Bowl (Presentation) 


67 


A Contralto 


68 


Telepathy 


69 


A Song- Writer 


70 


Sincerity 


71 


L'Envoi - 


72 



To Harriet Ware 



RT and music, poetry, 

Surely must inspired be, 

If worth while; and to the source, 

Naturally and of course, 

Of the primal inspiration, 

Should belong the dedication. 





Venetian Twilight 

Y GONDOLIER lazily makes his way, 
Threading along, humming a song, 
And glorious tints of a dying day 
Fill me with rapture, while earth, sky and sea, 
In their aureole robes, are a mystery 
Hidden from none, priceless, but free. 

The swish of the oar through the dark, quiet 

stream, 
Rhythmical, clear, soothing to hear. 
Scatters the mist, as a little moon-beam 
Kisses the lips that are mine by right, 
And caresses the form with its mellow light 
For which I am yearning to-night. 

This world is a place full of trouble and pain, 

None of us know why this is so; 

In fancy, at least, when you suffer again, 

Ride in my gondola, dismiss all care, 

Hear the soft music that floats through the air 

At twilight, in Venice, so fair. 



A Birthday 



WENTY-ONE, 

Life begun; 
iffjTffift Play diminished: 
College finished, 
Still, the world is full of pleasure, 
Punctuated now and then by sorrow 
In the mind is found the measure 
Making welcome each to-morrow: 
In the heart the richest treasure 
Of this life is safely guarded 
By a perfect intuition ; 
Heed its warning, be rewarded 
By the joys of love's fruition : 

Wisdom slowly 

Comes, but surely 

Smiles upon 

Twenty one. 



'Rigi-Kulm" 




HE SUN above, the sea below — 
A sea of fog, like driven snow, 
Enveloping the lakes and hills 
ll And lower peaks against their wills 
As far as eye can see around 
The Alps majestic, some snow-bound, 
And glaciers, too, the sun defy, 
But warm the earth on which they lie 
And keep secure their rugged tops 
From life or any kind of crops, 
Except the ones they hold and hide 
Beneath their massive weight. The tide 
Of time and cares of men below, 
Cannot disturb nor change the glow 
Of sunrise and of sunset grand, 
In this enchanted, lofty land: 
The rainbow colors kiss good-night 
Each snow-bound crest, and with the light 
At early morn, rejoice to stay 
A moment; then, compelled, they stray 
To pastures green and haunts of men, 
But know they can return again 
To peace and quiet, where the blue 



Of Heaven's vault shall veil anew 
The craigs and peaks so high in air, 
Committed to the Master's care. 



Pompeii. 




ILENT city of the dead, 
Lost for centuries, then found, 
Why was your defenseless head 
Chosen for a funeral mound? 

Whither did your people flee ? 

Were they buried by the dust? 

Did they rush into the sea 

Seeking shelter where they must? 

Why were some by lava chained, 

Seemingly to danger dumb? 

These alone have still remained, 

Calcified for years to come. 



Fiesole (Theatre) 




HE ground the stage, 
With mountains near and valleys deep 
The setting : not one thing to hide 
Or interrupt the vision wide 
Of earth and sky: the players keep 
Their hearers spell-bound by the tale 
Their accents sound in hill and vale 
Of sword and sage. 

Two thousand years! 

And on these very granite seats 

Imperishable, moss bedecked, 

Etruscan maids, their sweethearts next, 

Rejoiced to feel the throbbing beats 

Of hearts aflame, to whisper low 

Where stars and moon could hear and know 

How love endears. 




An Ideal 




OU have heard from the strings 
Of a fine violin many wonderful things; 
But they cannot begin to compare with the 
voice 

Of the one whom you love, 

When she says that your choice 

Has brought peace, like the dove. 

Though an artist may paint 

With remarkable grace and the charms of a 

saint, 
Without having a trace of the human remain; 
Still, the composite whole 
Of the thought in his brain 
Must be limned by the soul. 

All the beauties of art 

And the wonders of God, to a soulless heart 

Are no more than the sod; but the mind, keen 

and bright 
With divine inspiration, 
Knows the wonderful sight 
In the simplest creation. 



The "Azores" 




SLES enchanting, mystic, charming, 
Springing from the ocean deep, 
Do you have no fears alarming, 
Lest your craters may not sleep? 



Do your people thrive and flourish 
Like the vegetation green? 
Surely such a soil should nourish 
Thoughts of other worlds unseen. 

Washed by ocean's softest billows, 
Warmed by rays that never burn, 
Little wonder that your pillows 
Nestle heads that never turn! 



"The Harvest Moon" 




HE legends say the Harvest moon 
Is far the best of all the year; 
Perhaps it is, but very soon, 
The same of other moons you hear. 



The beauty lies, not in the star, 
The music sounds, not in the spheres, 
But in the eyes that gaze afar, 
And in the heart, with listening ears. 

The soul that is with love in tune, 
Can find in every earthly thing, 
A far resounding, echoing rune, 
That stirs the heart and makes it sing. 

A heart at peace, a mind at rest, 
Would give to life upon this earth 
A cup so full of what is best, 
That we might scorn a second birth. 



A Kiss 




WAKED her with a kiss: 

Who knows what thoughts, unfettered then, 

Were flitting through her brain, at rest; 

What visions weird, or dreams again 
Of love unknown, had filled her breast? 
I only know my bliss! 

All dreams may be surmise: 

But when the curtains of her sight 

Were barely drawn a line apart, 

My soul was stilled with sweet delight, 

I knew the joy that filled my heart 

Was love-light from her eyes. 



Loves S^mphonv 




IVING can give many joys, 
None so great as love may be, 
Time alone all else destroys, 
Love lasts through Eternity. 



Dying may to some give pain, 
One at least may ever deem, 
Life has never been in vain, 
Love has made it one sweet dream. 

For the Future have no fear, 
Let the Past a memory be, 
Listen, you yourself may hear 
Love's ecstatic symphony! 



in 



A Reply 




HY play the game with kings and aces? 
If all that rumor says be true, 
Your contest with ten thousand faces 
Has netted just the one for you. 



This game of chance becomes so fraught 
With every kind of kink and ridge. 
No wonder peace is dearly bought 
At poker or at auction bridge. 

Though quite adept at either game, 
I freely here to you confess 
That each, or both are very tame 
Compared to one that you can guess. 

Accept my thanks and let me say, 
That only work professional 
May keep me from your board away — 
Perhaps, from your confessional! 



11 



Humility 




HE stars that twinkle and that shine 
A wondrous source of beauty are; 
But science only can opine 
The secret of the shooting star. 

What can the soul, to land chain-bound, 
Pretend to tell us of the sea — 
That restless, boundless girdle 'round 
The earth for all eternity. 

The simple fools may jest and jeer 
Who never raise their eyes above, 
Too ignorant to even fear 
The force or fire of holy love. 

Embrace the heart that has its grief : 
The life that only knows sunshine 
Can have no infinite belief 
In what is human or divine. 

Humility alone can bring 
The mortal mind with God in touch : 
They tell us that the Heavenly King 
Has filled His kingdom full of such. 



12 



Sea-Gulls. 




AR from their homes, on tireless wing, 
Only the waves of the sea for a bed, 
Sea-gulls will follow, with rhythmical swing, 
While the propellers are forging ahead. 



Distance and time are not factors to them, 
Storms only hasten and help them along: 
Most of their kind they can rightly contemn — 
One shrill, sharp note is the whole of their 
song. 

Even their bed is as restless as they, 
Cooling their feet and caressing their breasts: 
Nature, however, has taught them the day 
When to return and revisit their nests. 




13 



The Song Sublime 




HE music written, played or sung, 
May give delight to those who know 
The mysteries and magic tongue 
In which the cadenced phrases flow: 



But every class, in every clime — 
The creatures dumb — or deer, or dove, 
Untutored know the song sublime 
To thrill a heart or tell their love! 



White Lilacs and Sweet-peas 




HE music in the lilacs white, 
The fragrance of the sweet-peas blue, 
Impel the senses, smell and sight 
To charm a melody from you. 



14 




Lost and Found 

ONG, long ago, just when I can't say, 
But it seems to me forever and a day, 
I lost my love, and I don't know how — 
Unless — but its idle to guess at it now. 

Twice in the night, before it was dawn, 
Came a voice of distress by some spirit borne, 
And only the years in the future told 
How two little lambs had entered the fold. 

At last came a line — just a simple note, 
Clear and concise, in which she wrote 
That in trouble and pain the old, old love 
Alone stood the test and was help from above. 

Perhaps we shall never discover nor know 
How God works his wonders and makes love 

grow: 
But a force irresistible holds in its power 
The God-born love, not the love of the hour. 

One never can tell what the Future may bring, 
We are seldom quite certain of anything; 
But I know that my love in the years gone by 
Is still mine to-day and forever and aye. 



15 



Lost Love 




OU may mock 

At the heart overflowing with grief, 

You may lock 
In your breast any thought of relief, 
But some day 
From the depths of your soul you shall know, 

You must say 
No mortal may live without woe! 

My heart bleeds 
When I think of my love in the past; 

My soul needs 
Just one more tender word that may last; 

My will craves 
What it once thought it held quite secure ; 

My mind raves 
At the loss it must feel evermore ! 



16 



A Voice 




VOICE at night, in the stillness heard, 
But just as clear in the busy throng, 
As sweet as the note of a singing bird, 
And sweeter than any written song, 
Is whispering words that make my heart 
Pulsate in quivering, quickened throbs ; 
I stop to listen, but quickly start, 
Amazed to find I am choked by sobs: 
Too late, I know the truth to be, 
The voice of love was calling me. 



Reincarnation (L. H.) 

OUR voice, entrancing, seems to me 

An echo of eternity: 

It thrills the heart, enthralls the mind, 

Inspires a love for all mankind: 
Reincarnation, some will say; 
Perhaps, — if so, you need no prayer 
That here, hereafter, everywhere 
Its charm remain with you alway. 




17 



Calling 




RE you calling me? 
Can I mistake the voice I hear, 
Far-off at times, then again so near, 
Chanting a melody soft and low, 
Only permitted to lovers to know, 
Fully of ecstasy? 

I am calling you: 

Although no sound from my lips is heard, 
Out into space hurries each fond word, 
Driven by energy stored in my heart, 
Straight to the soul of its own counterpart, 
Faithful, loving, true. 



LS 



Free 




HE mind is free — 

But not on land, 

And never at sea 

Until the spirit that gave it birth 
Has taught how little this life is worth, 
Without the hand 
Of Deity. 

The heart is free — 
But not below, 
Nor even above, 

Unless some power has made it know 
The bliss that alone can make it so — 

Unbounded love 

Eternally. 



19 



Subconscious Cerebration 



HEN shall we know — God grant it be soon 
Music unwritten, but heard in our sleep : 
Why does its wonderful entrancing tune 
Lie in a mystery ever too deep? 



fclfij 



Down in his heart, in the peasant's breast, 
Untouched by trouble, and unmoved by pain, 
Poetry exquisite, never expressed, 
Flows from an unending, natural vein. 

Working untrammeled by sight and by 

thought, 
Pictures unconsciously limned by the brain, 
Artists remember; but when they are sought, 
Canvas and colour refuse them again. 



20 




Above the Clouds 

BOVE the Clouds, 

The vault of Heaven arched and boundless, 
The azure blue so pure and clear, 
The air itself so rare, and fresh and free, 
Instil into the mind the groundless, 
Hopelessness of plans projected here, 
Regardless of the great Eternity 
Above the clouds. 

Above the clouds, 
Our thoughts may always soar with ease, 
And bring to us a fuller dawn, 
Replete with knowledge of a sweeter life, 
In which misfortune and disease 
Can find no place : the weary, worn 
Forget their troubles, know no care nor strife 

Above the clouds! 



21 



Dreaming 




WAKE and alert, I seem never to see 
The one whom I know is still waiting for me; 
But when I am dreaming, those eyes look in 
mine 
And answer my prayer in a language divine. 

Perhaps in the Future, in worlds still unknown, 
My dreaming may bring me the love it has 

sown; 
The life after death all the sweeter should be, 
When love is unfettered for Eternity. 



22 



A Pastor 




O MEASURE life by years, not deeds, 

Is usual with those that err; 

But one who finds and fills the needs 

Of aching hearts and poor lost souls, 
And brings them to the sheltering folds 
Where human ties are sweet and dear, 
And hope eternal gives anew 
The strength to struggle and to fight, 
The courage needed to be true, — 
Must realize that on this earth 
His years are measured by his worth, 
Which God alone may judge aright: 
No wonder then, fond brother mine, 
That fifty Winters — dare I tell? — 
Have passed and hardly left a line 
Upon your brow ; and that your hair, 
Though touched by grey, bespeaks no care. 
Because your people love you well ! 



23 




24 



Immanuel (A song cycle) 




ONS pass, but every Hebrew maid 
Hopeful waits and listens yearning: 
Palpitating hearts, and burning 
Souls impatient, unafraid, 
Watchful wonder, 
Prayerful ponder 
Who shall be the mother blessed, 
By whose hand and at whose breast 
God has planned to have the child 
Brought to full maturity, 
Pure and holy, undefiled 
With assured security. 

By the angel Gabriel, 

Tidings of Immanuel, 

Secrets of Elizabeth 

Reach the city Nazareth, 

In the heart of Gallilee : 

From his lips the Virgin heard : 

"Fear not, Mary," and this word : 

"Favoured; all eternity 

Bless and praise the son to be — 

JESUS, Son of God, and thee!" 



25 



Anxiously going, 
Wondering, knowing 
Ecstasy fine: 
Watchfully caring, 
Consciously bearing 
Concept divine: 
"Holy His name! 
Merciful Saviour, 
Always the same!*' 

Once in each revolving year. 
Comes the season sweet to those 
Who have hearts attuned to hear 
Helpless infants when they cry : 
Hushed the cradle — still the sky 
Holds the stars the wise men chose 
As their guide to Bethlehem, 
Where, as every one now knows, 
In a manger, marked for them, 
Lay a child, a prince, a King! 
Prophesied for years to bring 
Peace, good-will, and happiness 
To a world in great distress : 



26 



One whose life and power to lift, 
Burdens painfully endured 
By the lepers, never cured, 
Was the special, blessed gift 
Granted only at his birth 
To the Son of God on earth. 

A thousand times ten thousand years, 
Cannot efface the wonder wrought 
By power sublime : time but endears 
The birth so long by sages sought, 
The life so full of bitter tears, 
The death by which eternal life 
Was made an heritage secure, 
And all this hard and cruel strife 
Could end in peace for evermore. 

In the Heavenly choir 
You may hear this refrain: 
"He is coming again, 
In a pillar of fire, 
With affection, not ire : 
From the right hand of God 



21 



He hath taken the Book, 
And shall reap from the sod — 
Yea, from each little nook — 
The rich harvest, so rife ; 
And a stream, crystal clear, 
Pure, with water of life, 
Takes away every tear." 




2* 



A Cross 




IMPLE, but high 
On Alpine crest, 
Above the strife 
And stress of life, 

A cross, at rest, 

Kisses the sky! 

Steadfast through storm: 
The sun ablaze 
With torrid light, 
The moon at night 
With silver rays, 
Outline its form. 

Token sublime 
By ages blest, 
With love untold, 
Your arms enfold 
The heart oppressed 
In every clime. 



29 



Mother-love 




HE door-step of a busy thoroughfare, 
With surface lines and elevated cars, 
And noisy workers welding iron bars, 
Reveals, in gingham dress, with raven hair, 
A woman of the working plainer class, 
Whose face is radiant with a careless smile, 
As in her lap, outstretched and happy, while 
Upon its face and head (a tangled mass 
Of dark brown curls) the kisses rain, 
A playful child inspires that mother-love, 
So pure, unselfish, straight from heaven above, 
Which never has its like on earth again. 



When Violets Fade 

ROSE 

Of deep red hue, 
When violets fade, 
May kindle too 

Old joys anew — 

Who knows? 




30 



IF 




F I could speak, 

The language of the flowers, 

Their fragrance lend 

To every word and phrase, 



What harp or lute, "* 
With all its subtle powers, 
Would dare contend — 
Unless to suit 
Its music to my lays? 

If I could use 

The language of the birds, 

The melody 

Bewitching of their lays, 

I know my pen 

Would not commit to words 

Or poesy 

My love : but then, 

My heart would sing always. 



Si 




Love's Message 

N TRACKLESS ways, 

For nights and days, 

A message from my soul has sped; 

Incessantly, 
On land and sea, 
It follows boldly, whither led. 

If efforts fail 

On hill and vale 

To reach the heart to which it goes, 

It will defy, 

However high, 

The peaks that boast eternal snows. 

• 

The dark below, 

From which we know 

That raging flames may rarely rise, 

Will only speed 

The soul whose need 

Is love supreme, that never dies. 

I have no fear, 
Though never here 



32 



The message finds its destined goal, 

In spirit land, 

A loving hand 

Will grasp and greet my longing soul. 



Unchanged 




HE LEAVES are changed from green 

to gold, 
And silver streaks the auburn hair, 
Sometimes, before its owner fair 

Has known the grief that makes one old; 

The seasons change from warm to cold, 

But human nature everywhere 

Remains the same : at least, one thing 

Unchanged, amidst so much unrest, 

Unfailing joy and peace may bring 

To those who serve its altar best. 



33 



A White Rose 




O YOU remember a small white rose, 
Breathing its fragrance pure and fair, 
One with the sweet peas you yourself chose. 
Taking it out of a vase quite rare? 



Was it the perfume, or was it a prayer? 
Something invested the rose with strange 

power ; 
Since then unceasingly and everywhere, 
You fill my heart — not the thought of the 

flower. 

How can you master emotion so strong, 
What will you do for the heart you have 

stirred? 
Your voice to me, which is sweeter than song, 
Could ease its yearning, by one little word. 



34 



A Breath of Spring 




O LEAF, no life to untrained eye, 
The tree in burial robes of snow 
Can only answer Winter's blow 
By nodding to the mackerel sky. 



The earth itself, so hard and drear, 
By force prevents the seed deep sown 
From creeping out, perchance, alone 
To die, exposed to cold and fear. 

A balmy breeze no eye may see 
Is wafted through the topmost boughs, 
And, even to the root, endows 
With sap and green the silent tree. 

Its leaves with melody abound, 
The birds its branches fill with song: 
Below, a weird, mysterious throng — 
Elusive shadows play around. 

Throbbing with ecstasy, everything 
Wakes from its lethargy, eager for strife, 
With a heart yearning for love and life, 
Wooed by the quickening breath of Spring. 



55 



Tear Drops 



El 



?gi AM thinking of you : 

rftrrjl ^ n tne nusn °* tne morn » 

Ere the rose-fingered dawn 

From the darkness is born, 

All alone, heavy hearted, 

Come the dreams when we parted 

Of a love old, yet new. 

I am singing to you: 

In my heart is a strain 

Oft repeated again 

In the same sweet refrain, 

Softly speaking or calling; 

On my cheeks, there are falling 

Pearl tear-drops, like dew. 

I am longing for you : 

Does your heart feel my thought? 

Has your consciousness caught 

From the ether waves naught 

That my heart throbs are saying? 

Are you yourself praying 

That those dreams may come true ? 



36 




Love-Light 

Y HEART like a bud that had never 

bloomed, 
To shade and shadow seemed hopelessly 
doomed, 
No ray of sunshine nor breath of Spring 
Would kiss and keep it from withering. 

The light from a tender, human face, 
Aglow with pity and exquisite grace, 
Illumined the plant, all dropping alone, 
And made from the bud a rose full-blown. 







V 



«v 



37 



Affinity 




LONE I've waited, suffered, wept, 
The years have passed, and still my grief 
In silence borne, has on me crept: 
The Future holds out no relief. 



It seems that every hope has fled, 
That love and sunshine all about, 
Cannot by chance, upon my head 
Descend, and much less seek me out. 

And yet, another sense has told, 
That on this earth not far from me, 
A heart is beating, in whose hold, 
My own love-fire glows brilliantly. 

How can a flame forever last, 
Without renewing proper food? 
To make it stand the wintry blast, 
Unspoken love can not be crude. 

But not a sign and not a word 
For years between ourselves has passed, 
Unless, perchance, each one has heard 
The other's heart by grief harassed. 



38 



Bohemians 




OU may have a superstition 

Which amounts to a delusion, 

Or a simple intuition 

That occasions much confusion; 
There are fads and fancies funny 
That may help or harm digestion : 
But Bohemians with money 
Must excite comment and question. 

It is hard to give a reason 
For the foolish things we think; 
It is harder still, in season, 
To command the printers ink : 
But Bohemians are careful 
On the lines where others fail: 
And though seldom ever prayerful, 
They have friendship — not for sale! 

An analysis will prove it, 
That the heart as hard as stone 
(Only dynamite can move it, 
Though it really is bone) 
In Bohemians is missing, 



39 



But, instead you always find 

One whose music, sweet as kissing, 

Throbs with love for human kind. 



A Message 




N simple verse these lines I send : 
Between them, one who reads may see 
A message and a token blend 
To bring you peace eternally. 



The message comes, I need not say, 
From one whose heart is sad and sore ; 
The token still awaits the day 
That brings us joy for evermore! 



40 



Far and Near 



HE night is done. 
And linnets are 

JWtf/J Astir: upon 
* ™1 The eastern sky 

A blush: on high 

No daring star 

Disputes with day 

The right of way; 

And yet, the light 

Confounds my sight — 

For thou art far! 

The day is done, 
But all is clear: 
No midday sun 
Could give more light 
To guide aright 
And calm my fear 
Than that I know 
When from two eyes. 
With feigned surprise, 
The love-beams glow — 
For thou art near! 



41 



Roeanne (9 months old) 




ABIES all may interest: 
Clothed in little but a smile, 
Each will prove a welcome guest, 
When it coos or tries to smile. 



Dimpled wrists and dumpy feet 
Lend their own peculiar charms 
To a baby clean and sweet, 
Nestling in its mother's arms. 

You may think those open eyes 
Prettier if a different hue; 
But the parents who are wise, 
Know that any shade will do. 

Naturally, every dear 
Has some special cunning ways 
Which would take at least a year 
To enumerate; these lays 

Are to tell you of a child — 
Not my own, I grieve to say — 
Wondrous fair and meek and mild, 
Full of sunshine all the day. 



42 



From the hour when she was born, 
None who know her can deny, 
Whether it be night or morn, 
She is seldom heard to cry. 

Trustful, calm, a face so rare, 
Surely with those eyes of blue 
And her soft abundant hair, 
She is equalled by but few. 

Doubtless this may vex her mind, 
How an angel here below, 
Can the proper helpmate find — 
For her sort is rare, you know. 

Smile and cool in peace, Rosanne : 
You will find when you are grown, 
Peace quite rare, for every man 
Tries to cull a rose full-blown. 



43 



X^Stt- 



^js^ar 






■ k 




10. 




l^& -' 


M : 








...;-**>-'•-" 




44 



Alone 




LOVE to listen to the singing birds; 
The rustling leaves have music of their own 
But nothing sounds so sweet as do the words 
I hear in silence, when I am alone. 



My fancy makes me free to choose the voice 
That never fails to lure me by its charm: 
Besides, I am not hindered in my choice 
Of what to hear, and when to take alarm. 

The face of one whose memory is enshrined 
In all the beauty of a boy's love-dream, 
Is with the voice and figure close entwined — 
A picture-poem, like a fairy neem, 

The fragrance of a blooming flower bed, 
The odor from the fresh and new morn hay, 
Rivives the recollections of the head 
That once upon my shoulder loved to stay. 



45 



The strains of every air, by time endeared, 
The harmonies that often are not scored, 
Infuse my mind and cause it to be cleared 
Of all unhealthy thoughts it may have stored. 

No wonder then, that people are content 
To live alone, and never dare to mate : 
A love unhappy proves the incident 
Preparatory to a better fate. 



A Golden Wedding 




IFTY happy, golden years! 
Although trials, losses, tears 
May have cast some shadows dark, 
And the carols of the lark 



May have failed to bring you cheer, 
When affliction drew too near; 
Still, the long association 
Is a special dispensation 
Granted to but few below: 
Yours the real joys to know 
Here on earth, and, surely, Love 
Shall provide no less above. 



46 



'Heart Hunger" 



w O YOU listen while you sleep? 
^^V I Then I know you hear my cry, 
For in slumber, light or deep, 
tt*j I am calling — You know why ! 



When you go from place to place, 
Can't you see me at your side? 
Though my eyes be closed, your face 
By my fancy is espied. 

Music strange you hear and feel: 
Do you marvel at its force? 
Could my spirit to you steal, 
You, at least, would know its source. 

Does the perfume of the flower, 
Bring you pleasure, give you joy? 
This to me gives every hour, 
Thoughts of you that never cloy. 

Though you lost your taste and touch, 
Yet the senses left, just three, 
Would sufficient be for such 
Individuality. 



47 



Do the ether waves from you, 
Cause my hungry heart unrest. 
Keep me wondering, is it true, 
While I suffer, God knows best? 



Autograph Book 




HAT can one say in a word or a line 
Worthy to go in an autograph-book? 
Tendrils that cling to a tree or a vine, 
Thrive in the shade of a sequestered nook. 



48 



An Inspiration 




HE held my hand : 
And as her dark eyes flashed 
Discretely, pressed it, unbashed, 
A magic wand 
To give an inspiration for a song : 
No one could fail to write 
When sensation, touch and sight 
Compelled creative thoughts to surge along. 

She held my hand: 
The voice of Spring rang clear, 
The leaves and birds were near — 

You understand — 
All nature felt a new impulse in life: 

The Winter chill had passed, 

Until I saw aghast, 
The man who wanted her to be his wife! 



49 




Intuition 

HE birds seek shelter safely in the boughs, 
The lambs, by hills protected, fear no wind, 
But mortals, who depend upon the vows 
So rashly made, so easy to rescind, 

Ignore the one, supreme, unfailing sense 

That offers even animals defense. 

The ceremonies by the church compelled, 

The forms provided by the civil laws, 

May merge two names, but never may they 

meld 
Two hearts discordant : if you seek the cause, 
Neglect of intuition tells the tale 
Of why such unions know no word but fail. 



90 



Silence and Song 




CANNOT sing: 

Bright though the day, 

Dark seems the way 

While memories are haunting me 
Of one who long since crossed the sea 
In early Spring. 

At sight of thee, 

Even the night 

Borrows new light 

From distant orbs to give a charm, 

My heart is free from all alarm — 

I sing with glee. 



51 



A Chord 





EEP in my heart, is a chord divine, 
Full of a harmony strange to this earth, 
Until that masterful music of thine, 
Calls it from spirit-land, giving it birth. 



Could I translate into words such a strain. 
Words that the people could grasp everywhere, 
Nations enchanted would sing the refrain, 
Filling with melody, earth, sea and air. 



M.H. 




HE dainty ^dx of caramels 
Contains confections sweet and rare; 
But' better still is what it tells 
Of graciousness that ever dwells 
Within the heart of one so fair 
In face and form: whose azure eyes 
Reflect the colour from the skies 
And give a glimpse of paradise. 



Mon Dim 



% 




OME attracted by a face, 
Follow blindly any pace; 
More pursue a money prize, 
Often won by fraud and lies: 
Others for a lithesome form 
Weather any kind of storm : 
Many are by titles drawn, 
Early taught on rank to fawn : 
Graces rare, so sweet to see, 
When possessed from infancy, 
May escape a searching eye, 
If no cloud obscures the sky: 
But I know the better part, 
Hidden by consummate art — 
That which worships at the serine 
Of the cross — your soul divine- 
Glows in grief that none may borrow : 
Will you let me share your sorrow? 



55 



Aloft 




ASTER of land and sea 
For many years, the mind 
Has solved the mystery 
Of winged things : the wind 
Its servant, bears and speeds 
The craft from place to place 
More swiftly than the pace 
Of falcons fast, and feeds 
Aloft with purer air 
The fancy fine ; while Care, 
The brute that all annoys 
And stouest hearts corrodes, 
In vain the soul assails 
That carried by the gales 
Above the clouds, enjoys 
Aerial abodes. 



54 



Comrades (Pleiades) 




OMRADES in this constellation. 
Pause and pour out one libation 
To our fellows gone before ; 
From the great unknown, unlearned, 
Never yet has one returned: 
Still, we know they wait to meet us, 
That their loving souls will greet us, 
On the distant spirit shore. 



55 



The Struggle 




HE path of knowledge is the same, 
Defiant, difficult, obscure; 
The goal, success — no easy game 
For rich to play, much less for poor. 



Sharp, cruel thorns beset the way, 
The climb for many is too steep, 
And ere they see the dawn of day, 
Most weary toilers fall asleep. 

The dreamer works, the worker dreams, 
Each striving, struggling for the goal, 
And while they press their futile schemes, 
Each loses more — a mortal soul. 



56 



Asleep 




UR ship is delayed by the force of the gale, 
And tossed by the billows and beaten by hail, 
But peacefully dreaming, my darling asleep 
In a trundle-bed cot, is unmoved by the deep. 

Sweetly sleep! 

The hand of another will 
Temper the storm: 
The heart of a mother still 
Shelters your form. 



The years that shall follow may bring you 

delight, 
Or even a lover to guard you at night; 
But only the love of a mother may last 
When fortune and friends are but dreams of 

the past. 

Sweetly sleep! 

The hand of another will 
Temper the storm: 
Hie heart of a mother still 
Shelters your form. 



57 



Truth 




HO knows the spirit inspiring song birds? 
How do they learn what so sweetly they sing? 
May be their music is too rare for words, 
Save for the words that their own fancies 
bring. 



Can we explain how some wonderful song 
Comes to the writer unbidden, unsought, 
Unless his muse is compelled by some wrong. 
Or by some pleasure that's too dearly bought. 

Only the heart that has suffered and grieved, 
Knows how to touch by its voice or its word, 
That of another too often deceived, 
Whether the message be old or unheard. 

One kind of music and one kind of song, 

Ever strikes deep and in memory stays, 

That from the heart, which can never be 

wrong, 
Having the Truth as its key-note always. 



58 




'A Sketch" 

WORLD of loving kindness lies 
Within those mellow, hazel eyes; 
And from their depths a wondrous light 
Undimmed by day, enhanced by night, 
With scintillating lustre shines 
Like brilliants in the deepest mines: 
And by their glance, is shown the soul 
That makes the beauty of the whole : 
A heart that only throbs to aid 
The burden on its fellow laid ; 
A mind engrossed by every thought 
Historical, by labor wrought; 
Beloved by all, to whom you're known, 
The love you reap, is what you've sown. 



59 




Love Divine (A song cycle) 

FAIRY Sprite, 
j) A child of three, 
Happy and free, 
In dappled light, 

Under a tree, 

Dancing and swinging, 

Laughing and singing, 

Enraptures me! 

A maid, I ween, 
At least sixteen, 
Feeling the fire 
Of golden youth, 
Full of desire 
To know the truth: 
The earth below 
And the sky above her, 
The streams as they flow 
In their winding way, 
The stars and the moon 
To my heart plainly say : 
She has come; the boon 
Of this life you may know- 
Tell her that you love her! 

60 



Oh ! for the language in which the heart speaks ! 
How can the voice surcharged with love, 
Eager to shout from the topmost peaks 
Paeans of joy to the stars above, 
Tell in soft whispers the story of old, 
Place on her finger the circlet of gold 
Binding for life, yet making so free 
Souls that are mated eternally? 

Let silence speak: no words can tell 
The feelings in my heart so deep: 
Unless my sighs can make her weep, 
Unless my eyes tear-stained dispel 
Distrust, or pity at my grief 
Can faith, affection, love compel, 
As well as infinite belief, 
My soul its tender thoughts must keep 
To treasure in the endless sleep! 

She is mine! 

Yes! for twenty years 

We have shared every sorrow, 

And known that to-morrow 

For us had no fears. 



61 



Hearts clean and pure 
Bound by faith evermore, 
Live to learn and learn to live, 
Know the best that God can give- 
Love divine. 



62 




Contrast" 

LONG day of work, 
A night of unrest. 
Suspicions that lurk 
Where faith should obtain: 

Discouraged by pain, 

Unhappy at best, 

A body not well — 

Does earth hold more hell? 

A touch of the hand, 
A glance of the eye 
That you understand: 
A word from the heart 
Untrammelled by art, 
Your loved one near by 
To give you a kiss — 
Has Heaven more bliss? 



63 







1 



64 



"Marguerite 




AVE you seen a rose half blown. 
When the dew has kissed its face, 
Growing silently, alone, 
All unconscious of its grace? 



When the sun has shed its light, 
Giving fuller life and bloom, 
Then you see a wondrous sight 
Added to the rare perfume. 

Such a budding, blushing maid, 
Natural and fair and sweet, 
Happy, singing, unafraid, 
You can see in Marguerite. 




65 



"Love — Bloom" 




PLANTED the seed of a flower rare, 
In earth prepared with infinite care; 
But wind and want of rain and sun, 
Completely undid the work that was done. 



Unknowing, unthinking, a love-seed fell 
On soil untitled, in an unknown dell; 
And without the aid of sun or rain, 
Its bloom and perfume have known no wane. 




66 




A Silver Bowl (Presentation) 

ITH gratitude, this silver token, 

In silence tendered 

For kindness rendered 

Even when no word was spoken. 
Could many, many times be filled: 
No doubt the several voices stilled 
Approve, if spirits watch us here 
And wait to welcome us and you 
When we have done the work to do 
Upon this moving, mundane sphere. 



67 



A Contralto 




HE secret of the voice you know: 
The 'cello tones so deep and low 
Come faultlessly and free; 
But do you feel that sweeter thrill 

Your heart pulsating, never still 

Can give so secretly? 

Perhaps that very mellow tone 

Will wake the heart that with your own 

Pulsates in unison: 

Will make the chord none else may hear, 

Except the one for whom it's clear — 

When two hearts sound like one ! 



68 




Telepathy 

OULD you know the secrets of the heart, 
You would comprehend the strange sensation, 
When you recognized with each pulsation, 
That your own in unison vibrated, 

That your brain was also correlated 

With another by some magic art. 

All the joys and fears you credit Fate, 
Feelings deep and pains intense, unbidden, 
Synchronously reach you from the hidden 
Heart-beats in another's breast, 
Troublous, full of hope, or great unrest, 
Seeking by telepathy its mate. 



69 



A Song-Writer 




NLY to look in those wondrous eyes, 
Out of whose depths subtle harmonies flow, 
Brings back the hopes of a lost paradise, 
Seen once in dreams, in the years long ago. 



Hearing the thoughts hidden deep in your 

mind, 
Rapturous, written in musical phrase, 
Transports the senses until they may find 
Heaven revealed in melodious lays. 



Sincerity 



NOTHER year has sped along 
^VH In which the world has made a stride 
(fc^ And left adrift on ebbing tide 

Some earnest workers, far and wide. 
Whose courage failed, or in whose song 
Sincerity, without the fire 
Of inspiration, Heaven-born, 
Could not essay to paint the dawn, 
Nor tell the world its heart's desire : 
But failure often means success; 
Its lessons learned in bitterness 
May point the paths so hard to find, 
Where roses bloom of every kind 
And give to every passing wind 
A fragrance sweet: the world must be 
A debtor to sincerity ! 



71 



L 9 Envoi" 




FIRE smouldering in my heart, 
Has slowly burned for many years; 
It has a message to impart 
Of life and death, of joy and tears : 

And in the midst of many fears 

Of critics with envenomed dart, 

Has never burst into a flame, 

But goes on smouldering just the same. 

Awaiting, possibly, some art 

To give its message to the world: 

Or does it wait to find a name 

Which, when emblazoned and unfurled. 

Will be so plain that all must see 

And call the outburst Poesy ! 



72 



* 1 



